 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
BACK TO HEADLINES |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
| Anderson Herald Bulletin March 27, 2005 What Seems to be the Problem? We cannot see why the Legislature hasn’t approved slot machines at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs. The reality is, Hoosiers LOVE to gamble. A recent study showed that Indiana rakes in the most gambling money in the United States, aside from New Jersey and Nevada. Can’t argue that no one wants it. Here are some irrefutable facts why lawmakers should approve slot machines at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs. The proposal put forth will generate $150 million for the financially bereft state and free up for other uses the $27 million riverboat subsidy to horse racing. Slots will generate more than $10 million for Madison County. (Local politicians, please wait until the legislation is approved before fighting over the money.) Hoosier Park will build a $30 million gaming building at the track. Just building that would boost the local economy. Then we get to tax it. Now we come to the horse racing industry itself. Hoosier Park purses have dried up by a third since Indiana Downs opened and the number of race days increased. More successful horses are being trucked to surrounding states to race instead. Giving the tracks another revenue source will enable them to boost purses and lure back the top horses. Horse racing is a $479 million industry in Indiana that filters to all 92 counties, when one counts in farmers raising feed crops, horse breeders, tack makers, barn builders, truck and trailer salesmen and veterinarians. There’s more, but you get the point. By nature, Hoosiers are a cautious people. We cannot be cautious about this. Gaming companies will beat their heads against the wall known as the Indiana Legislature only so long, then move on to a state that is more receptive. They’ve been banging their heads in Indiana now for six or seven years. We fear that they will give up. Meanwhile, surrounding states aren’t wasting any time taking advantage of their gaming edge. Virtually every state around us either has slot machines at their horse tracks or are considering it. If the Legislature doesn’t act fast, this fleeting chance for a growing economy in Madison County is going to pass us by. 
|
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||||||
 |
|
 |
||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|